Molded check strap



Nov. 1, 1966 c. R. MESSER 3,282,302

MOLDED CHECK STRAP Filed April 19, 1965 HEAVY POLYURETHANE POLYURETHANE IMPREGNANT,

lMPREGNANT LIGHT THROUGHOUT 22 United States Patent 3,282,302 MOLDED CHECK STRAP Chester R. Messer, Concord, N.H., assignor to Page Belting Company, Concord, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed Apr. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 448,971 3 Claims. (Cl. 139161) This invention comprises a new and improved check control for the picker stick of a loom.

Check controls as heretofore constructed have usually comprised a composite loop of leather and fabric perforated at its ends and mounted to slide longitudinally upon a fixed guide rod and between friction fingers under the impact of the picker stick. It has been the practice to provide flexible hinge areas in both legs of the loop to accommodate open and closed conditions encountered in different looms, that is to say, conditions in which the friction fingers are located in positions nearer to or further from the guide rod. These conditions require a somewhat extensive flexible hinge area so that actual bending action may occur in the loop at different distances from the guide rod as determined by the location of the picker stick impact or path.

The hinge action of the control loop has been found objectionable in creating a localized area of rapid wear in the loop and also in causing a whipping or snaking of the tie strap that detracts from the smooth operation of the loom. Such action is particularly detrimental at high speeds and is objectionable to the manufacturer on this account.

The present invention is based on my discovery that these defects and shortcomings of a loop operating with hinge action may be entire-1y obviated by employing a fabric loop stiffened and molded into such shape that little or no hinge action is required of it in its own association with a compatible loop assembly. That is to say, the loop is molded and stiffened in such shape that its movement is almost wholly in a path parallel to the guide rod and without appreciable transverse bending.

In its preferred form the loop is also stiffened in its intermediate area of contact with the friction fingers. This feature contributes to the smooth bodily movement of the loop and reduces wear that is otherwise localized in the area of contact. The best results are secured by treating the entire loop with a stiffening compound while molding it to substantially rectangular contour. Subsequently additional stiffening compound is applied to the loop in the areas of its contact with the friction fingers. Thus the loop tends to maintain the shape to which it has been molded and tends to reassume that shape if momentarily distorted.

The impregnated loop may be utilized in single or double ply formation or in composite form with an inner plyof heavy leather. With these variations of assembled parts the inertia and momentum of the loop may be adjusted to commercial operating conditions encountered in different looms.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the prises a guide rod 10 which is secured to a part of the loom and carries at its ends stops 11 and 12. The picker stick 13 is shown in mid-position and its path is controlled by the loop which encloses it.

The loop 14 may be formed of heavy webbing such as canvas or nylon or combinations thereof. It is supplemented at its ends by an external reenforcing tongue 15 of leather and by an internal guard tongue 16 which somewhat cushions the impact of the picker stick. The ends of the loop with the supplementary tongues are per forated to slide freely upon the rod 10. They project beyond the rod where they are clamped together through the medium of a clamping plate 17 and rivets 18. The free ends of the loop are connected by hooks 19 and a tie strap 20. The loop is engaged at opposite sides by friction fingers 21 and 22 and these are mounted adjusta-bly in the loom frame to regulate and control the frictional drag on the loop as it is bodily shifted back and forth by the action of the picker stick.

The loop 14 is impregnated or coated throughout its v length wit-h a thermosetting hardening and smoothing compound such for example as polyurethane. The generally rectangular contour of the loop is determined by molding and the stiffening effect of the impre-gnant is such as to maintain the contour of the loop with a substantially right-angular bend at each end. The picker stick 13 engages the loop between these bends and the guide rod 10, causing bodily oscillation of the loop without appreciable deformation of its contour. The angular ends of the loop are given a length corresponding to the distance of the guide rod 10 from the'plane of picker stick oscillation. In FIG. 3 the ends of the loop are longer than the corresponding ends of the loop shown in FIG. 2.

The intermediate portion of the loop, including the area thereof which passes between the friction fingers, is further stiffened and solidified by a second treatment of polyurethane. Thus this intermediate area is somewhat more hardened and stiffened than the remainder of the loop.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that on account of its molded shape the loop assembly reciprocates back and forth upon the guide rod 10 without any substantial bending or change of contour and thus the life of the loop is substantially prolonged as compared to loops heretofore known that have been subjected to appreciable bending in response to each contact of the picker stick.

The loop of the check control may be of single ply as shown in FIG. 1 or may comprise two or more plies as suggested in FIG. 4 where it may be assumed that the outer ply 30 has been impregnated or coated with a stiffening compound as the loop 14 of FIG. 1 and the inner ply 31 may be of fabric or heavy leather. In either case the two plies are molded into conformity, secured at their common ends by a tie strap and operate in the manner above described.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the condition which is obviated by the employment of loops of the present invention which are molded to the contour compatible with the conditions encountered in each individual loom. In FIG. 2 the picker stick 13 is shown as oscillating in a path substantially closer to the guide rod 10 than in FIG. 3. If a loop of the same length is employed in both instances it will be apparent that substantial areas of the loop must be left free for hinge movement at slightly different points in the loop. The necessity for any appreciable hinge movement is obviated by employing the individual-1y premoldcd loop of the present invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A check control comprising a guide rod in combination with a woven fabric loop perforated at both ends to slide upon the guide rod, impregnated throughout its length with a stiffening compound, molded to present right angle bends at a fixed distance from its perforated ends correspoding to the distance of the guide rod from the path of picker stick oscillation and having an excess stiffening impregn-ant in an intermediate area as compared to the remainder of the loop whereby the loop is reciprocated on the guide rod without appreciable flexmg.

2. A check control as described in claim 1, further characterized in that the perforated ends of the loop include stiffening members which render them substantially inflexible in their sliding movement upon the guide rod.

3. A check control comprising a fixed guide rod in combination with a woven fabric loop perforated at both ends to slide upon the guide rod and engaged in an intermediate area by friction fingers, the said loop being molded to present approximately right angle bends at fixed distances from its ends corresponding in length to the distance of the guide rod from the path of picker stick oscillation and having a stiffening impre-gnant in the areas of said bends and also in the area of contact with the said friction fingers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,775,264 12/1956 Rockoff 139161 2,783,779 3/1957 Freedlander 139-161 2,855,004 10/1958 Shivell 139165 2,884,961 5/1959 Plante et al. 139166 3,067,484 12/1962 Rasero et a1. l39161 3,114,397 12/1963 Messer 139-161 3,126,922 3/1964 Randlett et a1. 139165 3,192,959 7/1965 Gr aVi-tt 139165 3,228,429 1/1966 Messer 139161 FOREIGN PATENTS 542,412 6/1957 Canada.

745,224 2/ 1956 Great Britain.

978,052 12/ 1964 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

, ROBERT R. MACKEY, Examiner.

25 J. KEECHI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CHECK CONTROL COMPRISING A GUIDE ROD IN COMBINATION WITH A WOVEN FABRIC LOOP PERFORATED AT BOTH ENDS TO SLIDE UPON THE GUIDE ROD, IMPREGNATED THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH WITH A STIFFENING COMPOUND, MOLDED TO PRESENT RIGHT ANGLE BENDS AT A FIXED DISTANCE FROM ITS PERFORATED ENDS CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE OF THE GUIDE ROD FROM THE PATH OF PICKER STICK OSCILLATION AND HAVING AN EXCESS STIFFENING IMPREGNANT IN AN INTERMEDIATE AREA AS COMPARED TO THE REMAINDER OF THE LOOP WHEREBY THE LOOP IS RECIPROCATED ON THE GUIDE ROD WITHOUT APPRECIABLE FLEXING. 